System and method of providing real-time site specific information

Abstract

A weather alert manager is used to provide real-time, site specific information to a user regarding weather and possibly other hazards. The weather alert manager compares meteorological data, a user profile including information on points of interest to the user, and geographical data to determine if weather will impact one or more of the user's points of interest. The user's points of interest include at least one mobile point of interest, which periodically transmits its location. The weather alert manager transmits a user alert message if one is needed, and a remote receiver notifies the user that a message has been received.

1. A method of providing real-time site specific information comprising:
 (a) providing a weather alert manager having memory comprising a machine readable storage device, the memory including a weather alert manager program to correlate meteorological data with geographic data to produce a storm affected area defined by geo-referenced coordinates; 
 (b) establishing a user profile with information about a user who is interested in receiving an alert message, where each user profile comprises:
 (i) a plurality of points of interest, where each point of interest is provided by the user; 
 (ii) remote receiver contact information associated with a remote receiver; and 
 (iii) user preferences indicating the type of environmental data about which the user desires to be notified; 
 
 
       where each of said plurality of points of interest have a point of interest location, and where the points of interest include at least one mobile point of interest having a geographic position indicator and a transmitter for transmitting a mobile point of interest location; and where the weather alert manager has access to the user profile;
 (c) transmitting the mobile point of interest location from the mobile point of interest to the weather alert manager; 
 (d) accessing the mobile point of interest location by the weather alert manager; 
 (e) comparing the storm affected area produced by the weather alert manager with the point of interest locations, including said mobile point of interest location, and the user preferences to determine if the user alert message is needed; 
 (f) transmitting the user alert message to the remote receiver using the remote receiver contact information associated with the remote receiver when the user alert message is needed; 
 (g) receiving the user alert message in the remote receiver; and 
 (h) notifying the user of the user alert message received by the remote receiver. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1  where the location of the point of interest is established using a geo-referenced coordinate system, the storm affected area is determined by corner data points using the geo-referenced coordinate system, and the position of the point of interest within the storm affected area is determined by calculations utilizing the storm affected area corner data points and the point of interest location. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 generating a website which includes a display of the storm affected area; and 
 including a link to the website in the user alert message. 
 
     
     
       4. A method of providing real-time, site specific hazard information to a user comprising:
 (a) providing a weather alert manager comprising a computer having memory with a weather alert manager program to receive and process environmental data to produce an environmentally affected area defined by geo-referenced coordinates, where the memory comprises a machine readable storage device; 
 (b) having a user provide a user preference indicating the type of environmental data about which the user desires to be notified; 
 (c) accessing a plurality of user profiles, where the user profile contains information about a user who is interested in receiving an alert message, where the user profile comprises:
 (i) a point of interest location, where the point of interest location is associated with a point of interest which has been provided by the user; 
 (ii) the user preference; and 
 (iii) contact information for a remote receiver; 
 
 
       and where the point of interest location for at least one user profile comprises a mobile point of interest location associated with a mobile point of interest;
 (d) receiving the mobile point of interest location in the weather alert manager; 
 (e) determining the point of interest locations that are located within the environmentally affected area 
 (f) comparing the user preferences associated with the point of interest locations within the environmentally affected area to determine if the alert message is heeded; and 
 (g) transmitting the needed alert message using the remote receiver contact information. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4  further comprising:
 calculating a predicted future mobile point of interest location based on current and historical locations of the mobile point of interest; and 
 comparing the environmentally affected area with the predicted future mobile point of interest location and the user profile to determine if the user alert message is needed. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 4  where at least one user profile comprises more than one point of interest for a single user profile. 
     
     
       7. A method for providing real-time, site specific hazard information comprising:
 (a) providing a weather alert manager comprising a computer having memory with a weather alert manager program to receive and process environmental data to produce an environmentally affected area defined by geo-referenced coordinates, where the memory comprises a machine readable storage device; 
 (b) accessing a plurality of user profiles, where the user profile contains information about a user who is interested in receiving an alert message, where the user profile comprises:
 (i) a plurality of point of interest locations, where each point of interest location is associated with a point of interest which has been provided by the user, and where at least one user profile comprises a plurality of point of interest locations for a single user profile, 
 (ii) user preferences indicating the type of environmental data about which the user desires to be notified, and 
 (iii) contact information for a remote receiver, 
 
 
       and where the plurality of point of interest locations include at least one mobile point of interest location associated with a mobile point of interest;
 (c) determining the point of interest locations that are located within the environmentally affected area; 
 (d) comparing the user preferences associated with the point of interest locations within the environmentally affected area to determine if the alert message is needed; and 
 (e) transmitting the needed alert message using the remote receiver contact information. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7  further comprising:
 generating a website which includes a display of the environmentally affected area; and 
 including a link to the website in the user alert message. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 7  where the user selects the type of environmental data about which the user wishes to be notified for the user preferences. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 7  further comprising customizing the user alert message using the user profile. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 7  where the mobile point of interest transmits its mobile point of interest location at set time intervals. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 7  where the mobile point of interest is a cellular phone having a geographic position indicator. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 7  where the environmental data includes meteorological data. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13  where the environmental data includes hazard data. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 7  further comprising:
 calculating a predicted future mobile point of interest location based on current and historical locations of the mobile point of interest; and 
 comparing the environmentally affected area with the predicted future mobile point of interest location and the user profile to determine if the user alert message is needed. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 7  where at least one point of interest is stationary. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 7  where the point of interest locations use the same geo-referenced coordinate system as the storm affected area. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 7  where at least one mobile point of interest is the remote receiver. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 7  where the alert message comprises a text message and a link to a website containing a visual display of the environmentally affected area. 
     
     
       20. A system for providing real-time site specific information comprising:
 (a) a weather alert manager having access to a plurality of user profiles, where the user profile contains information about a user who is interested in receiving an alert message, where at least one user profile comprises a plurality of point of interest locations for that single user profile, where each point of interest location is associated with a point of interest which has been provided by the user, and where the user profile further comprises contact information for a remote receiver, and where the point of interest locations include at least one mobile point of interest location associated with a mobile point of interest, and wherein said weather alert manager memory is programmed to: 
 (i) receive the mobile point of interest locations from the mobile point of interest; 
 (ii) receive and process meteorological data to produce a storm affected area; 
 (iii) determine the point of interest locations that are located within the storm affected area; 
 (iv) prepare the alert message for the remote receiver associated with the point of interest location within the storm affected area; and 
 (v) transmit the alert message to the remote receiver using the remote receiver contact information. 
 
     
     
       21. The system of  claim 20  where the weather alert manager is configured to generate a website which includes a display of the storm affected area, and to include a link to the website in the alert message. 
     
     
       22. The system of  claim 21  where the alert message further comprises a text message. 
     
     
       23. The system of  claim 20  where the storm affected area is defined by geo-referenced coordinates. 
     
     
       24. The system of  claim 20  where the storm affected area is defined by grid cells. 
     
     
       25. The system of  claim 20  where the user profiles further comprise a user preference, where the user preference indicates the type of environmental data about which the user desires to be notified, where the user selects the type of environmental data about which the user desires to be notified, and the alert message is customized using the user preference. 
     
     
       26. The system of  claim 20  where at least one point of interest location is stationary.